When we were moving down here, I read that of the top ten deadliest snakes in the world, all of them are native to Australia. Don't forget about the rockfish either. This little critter looks like a rock and lives in shallow water. If you step on it, the poison in it's dorsal fin is capable of killing a grown man in minutes. Don't step on rocks. Bill Bryson has a good list of all the things that can kill you in Australia in his book "Down Under" - it's no wonder Australians drink so much. (The world record for most Brown Snake bites received in one go without dying is held by an Australian - he was drunk at the time…)
My two cents Welll, some might agree and some not. Spring and summer are upon us and we all have something to do on the outside. If it is a Garden Railway all the more to the ready of outside. BUUTT, When you get a new DCC system with automatic switch control, block detection, auto route programming that is just dying to be assembled you might have a tendency to remain on the inside. Using the excuse the AC is on don’t waste it, or the basement needs straightening and cleaning may not work for all but it’s working for me. Great springtime [ 15 May 2001: Message edited by: squirrelrun ]
Spring and fall are the toughest seasons for my layout time. Having two school age children means taking them to baseball and/or soccer practice, then there is the non-layout yardwork. But I still try to get down to they layout at least for a few minutes each week during this hectic times. Summer and winter are the best times. A nice cool dry basement in the summer is the best way to beat the heat. Having the basement heated in the winter is nice too. I am looking forward to this summer as I am preparing to put in my DCC system along with the new layout, being put back together. (For those of you who don't know, a record snowpack and 7 inches of rain in 24 hrs, lead to some minor groundwater flooding in my previously dry basement. Unfortunately my layout was partially on a large 10x10 carpet. Lesson learned, small area rugs that the layout does not rest on.) Anyway, layout work can be cyclical. The last baseball game in spring and the last leaf raked-up in fall means layout time.
